Whitstone

About Whitstone

Whitstone, a mixed secondary school in Somerset for pupils aged 11 to 16, holds a Good rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022, with every assessed category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management — all judged Good. The school’s academic story is best told through its Progress 8 score of 0.06, which places it comfortably above the Somerset local authority average of -0.2. This means that, on average, pupils at Whitstone achieve slightly better than the national expected level of progress across eight core GCSE subjects, a solid result for a state school. In the local authority rankings, Whitstone sits 9th out of 26 secondary schools, placing it in the top 35% of Somerset schools by this measure. Nationally, it ranks 1,392 out of 3,141 schools, putting it in the top 45% of all schools in England.

Looking more closely at the exam data, Whitstone’s Attainment 8 score stands at 43.6, which reflects the average grade achieved across the same eight subjects. The basics measure — the percentage of pupils achieving a grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSEs — is 42.7%, while 63.5% achieved a grade 4 or above. The school’s English Baccalaureate average point score is 3.86, with only 18.8% of pupils entered for the full EBacc suite of subjects. Breaking down Progress 8 by subject area, the strongest performance is in maths, with a score of 0.27, followed by the EBacc subjects at 0.16. English progress is essentially flat at 0.02, while open subjects (those not in the EBacc) show a slight negative score of -0.16. The school does not have a sixth form, so all pupils leave after Year 11.

Whitstone is a popular choice locally: for the 2025/26 academic year, it received 116 applications for 95 places, making it oversubscribed with a ratio of 1.22 applicants per place, and all 95 first-preference applicants were offered a spot. The school has a broad range of facilities including a theatre, astro turf, science labs, a swimming pool, and tennis courts, and offers sports such as rowing, rugby, and hockey alongside more typical options. It also runs clubs like Model UN, choir, and film club. With 23.9% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a diverse intake. Its SEND provisions are extensive, covering dyslexia, moderate to severe learning difficulties, autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and physical disabilities, making it a strong fit for families seeking a well-resourced mainstream setting that supports a wide range of additional needs.

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